Just Plain Neighbors: Elks Club flies high with school flag donation

[ Originally published on: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 ]

By IRMARIE JONES

The rope on the flagpole at Federal Street School in Greenfield was rotten. It didn't really matter, because there has not been a flag there to be raised for quite some time.

''The Greenfield Elks Club voted to buy a new flag and rope for the flagpole,'' said Les Chadwick, lecturing knight of the Elks. ''We bought white paint to paint the flagpole but, then found out the Greenfield DPW had already done that. The DPW also installed the new rope and we didn't have to do it.''

Last Friday morning, Chadwick and three of the students were able to raise the new flag on the premises.

''And we want to thank the DPW for helping us,'' he said.

THE SOCIAL HOUR for William Hough of Kalamazoo, Mich., which was planned for Thursday at the Weldon Community Rooms, has been canceled.

Hough who grew up in Greenfield, was one of the first scientists who went to Antarctica on a research project. Mildred Grant of Greenfield, who was helping plan the social hour, said Hough attended North Parish School and Greenfield High School. He canceled his trip here.

SHIRLEY STOOKEY, who lives at The Weldon on High Street, is excited about the garden that has been planted on the premises.

''It's mostly on the patio. It's convenient. We have tomatoes, white eggplant, green beans, Swiss chard and green peppers ... all organic, no chemicals,'' Stookey said. ''It's for the Weldon residents. The Weldon paid for the seeds.'' She said the residents like to stop in and see how things are growing. ''It gives everyone a focus.'' This is the second year of the project.

AND, SPEAKING OF GARDENS ... the other day, when my daughter, Meg, was looking over my flower gardens, she shouted, ''Mom, you have two tomato plants in your perennial garden.''

My son, Neil, had put quite a few day lilies in that garden toward the end of the 2008 season. But, there were tomatoes there and a few rotten ones dropped off. Must have been seeds from those bad tomatoes that germinated. I almost pulled the plants up when they were tiny, but I didn't think they looked like weeds.

Early tomatoes this year.

I'M INTRIGUED by the beautiful horse and its foal in the field at the end of my street, at the corner of Thayer Road and Colrain Road in Greenfield.

Cars are often stopping to look at the stunning pair, a real treat near the middle of town.

THE COUNTRY PLAYERS AWARD for 2009 was presented to two local graduating seniors who have participated in theater in a significant way.

Awards went to Kristina Boguslawski of Pioneer Valley Regional High School in Northfield and Emily Eaton of Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School in Hadley.

Kristina has been active in high school and was last seen at the Shea Theater in the Country Player's production of ''The Music Man.'' She will attend the University of Massachusetts in the fall.

Emily of Greenfield is a youth board member of the Country Players. She was seen as Mina in the Players' ''Count Dracula,'' last November at the Shea. She plans to attend Greenfield Community College.

The Country Players have recognized graduating secondary students since 1983. The list has grown to a few more than 50. Their next production will be ''Oliver,'' opening July 10 at the Shea. Included in the cast is Sue MacDonald of Conway who was Lucy in the Players' production of ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.'' She plays Widow Comey opposite Jack Arnot of Orange as Mr. Bumble.

MacDonald's daughter, Keara, will play the Artful Dodger in ''Oliver.''

CHILDREN IN THE AFTER-SCHOOL program at Conway Grammar and Whately Elementary schools have been making pillowcases for children in the local family shelters.

With the help of Debra Lane of Union 38 Out of School Time Programs and Lois Lively, after-school stitch instructor, the students made 28 pillowcases.

They were made with children in mind, some having motorcycles, animal prints, sport themes and cool spiders. After completion, each pillowcase was tied with a ribbon and a note from an out-of-school-time student to the recipient, wishing him or her well.

''The children worked many hours sewing, ironing and putting kindness into each one,'' said Lane. Fran Lemay from Family Inn stopped by the Conway school to pick up the pillowcases. The children asked many questions about who lives at the Family Inn and what the children who stay there do.

''I think it helped the children in the Out of School program to get a better perspective on how the shelter can help families,'' Lane said. ''It was a great learning experience and project we will do again next year.'' It was just one of the many community service projects in which the Out of School Time children participated.

A MASSACHUSETTS AUDUBON SOCIETY program on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to noon will take place at Warm Colors Apiary, Mill River Road in South Deerfield. Leaders will be Connie Parks, plant conservationist, and Dan Conlon, owner of Warm Colors. Learn about what is growing this time of year and the life of the bees. Take along water, a field lens and field guide, if you have them. $8 for Audubon members, $12 for non-members.

PETER MILLER, an amateur historian, is the one looking for photos of the old ticket booth at the Garden Theater. He feels there might have been one in the 200th anniversary of the Greenfield issue of The Greenfield Recorder-Gazette.

Also, he is seeking photos of the two Boston & Maine railroad stations that were in Montague City.

''One of the stations was at the very end of Depot Street,'' Miller said. ''O.C. Leonard took a lot of glass plate railroad connected photographs. His daughter was Gladys Goodnow, a teacher at the first Four Corners School in Greenfield.''

Miller said that unfortunately, Leonard, who worked at the East Deerfield freight yards, was run over by a train driven by his next door neighbor in 1923.

His number is 774-5363, if anyone can help.

BETTY GOWDY of Shelburne called. She has a 70-page Civil War diary and two letters written by her cousin, who participated in the D-Day invasion of France.

''I thought someone might want to look at them,'' she said.

Her number is 625-2376.

Irmarie Jones has been a member of the newsroom staff since 1969 and a columnist since 1977. You can reach her at: ijones@recorder.com.

 

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